Oppenheimer and the Nuclear Question

Hey all, I hope you’re doing well.I have for all of you the audio adaptation of the essay I wrote last year in response to my seeing the magisterial Oppenheimer, and given its newly Oscar-anointed status, I figured now would be the best time to get this out as a bonus as you all patiently await the return of the Muslim Nazis series (it’s still coming, worry not!). In this, we cover, mostly from my own memory (but supported by sources), the various reasons the United States might have dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. To say this is a complicated question is an understatement. To say there is a consensus, even almost 80 years later, is impossible. So we’re going to get into the weeds with this question while also showing the love Christopher Nolan’s magnum opus deserves.And as always, History Impossible has been made possible by the following generous supporters on Patreon, Substack, and PayPal. Please consider donating today to help keep me free and this show alive:David AdamcikRajan AthulBabeonbobbyDave BaxterMichael BeachBenjaminElias BorotaJohannes BreitsameterCharles CCliffydeuceCRdaddygorgonPaul DeCosterNeil DickensNathan DiehlBob DowningDramicasRob DuvalGavin EdwardsPierre GhazarianJayson GriesmeyerNathan GroteBenjamin HamiltonPeter HauckCarey HurstJoe6245Thomas JustesenMike KalninsBryn KaufmanLeah KodnerBenjamin LeeConstance LoucksMaddyMounty of MadnessJose MartinezMike MaylebenJudy McCoidJim MillerKyle MohneyKostas MorosRyan MortensonCameron NeedhamSkip PachecoDavid PageMolly PanJeff ParrentJean PetersJohn PisanoSr. PowellBrian PritzlAnaR737PJ RaderGleb RadutskyAleksandr RakitinReptilycusPhillip RiceChris RoweJon Andre SaetherAlison SaloJake ScaliaEmily SchmidtJulian SchmidtAndrew SeeberJoshua SimpsonCameron SmithThomas SqueoBrian SteggemanPier-Luc St-PierreAthal Krishna SundarrajanJared Cole TempleChrisTXRobert VSJonny WilkieRicky WortheyMichael WroblewskiF. You